Fire obtain Magee from Galaxy

Versatile forward coming for rights to Rogers but not in time for game at Real Salt Lake

May 24, 2013|By Jack McCarthy, Special to the Tribune

Mike Magee controls the ball during a game with the Galaxy. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

The Fire have acquired Chicago-area native Mike Magee from the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for the rights to forward Robbie Rogers.

A source with knowledge of the transaction told the Tribune that the deal was completed Friday and that Magee will miss Saturday's game at Real Salt Lake. He is expected to join the team Sunday. A high Galaxy source also confirmed the deal.

The Galaxy have scheduled a Saturday news conference to introduce a "newly acquired player," according to a team statement.

Magee, a versatile 28-year-old forward, likely will make his first Fire appearance in Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup game against the Charlotte Eagles in Rock Hill, S.C.

Magee was leading the Galaxy in scoring this season with six goals. His 11-year MLS career includes six seasons in New York and the last five in Los Angeles. He has 42 career goals in 235 regular season appearances.

Magee hails from South Barrington but never played high school soccer, opting to enroll in a soccer residency program in Florida in 2001. He has made five appearances with U.S. national age group teams.

The Fire acquired Rogers' rights in a February trade that sent Dominic Oduro to Columbus.

Shortly after the deal Rogers announced he is gay and retired briefly from soccer. After a hiatus, he started light training with the Galaxy earlier this month and said he wanted to play for them.

The Galaxy now have his MLS rights and further negotiations will be forthcoming.

Magee's acquisition combined with Thursday's trade for defender Bakary Soumare gives an instant lift to a Fire team hasn't scored in more than three games and been short-handed on defense because of key injuries.

The Fire reacquired Soumare in a trade with Philadelphia and he will be available Saturday night.

"Right now I feel good," said Soumare, who is recovering from a knee injury and played for the Fire from 2007-09. "I'm getting my rhythm back. It's just a matter of stringing games together."

With defenders Arne Friedrich and Steven Kinney out indefinitely, Soumare helps shore up an undermanned back line that will be without yet another starter Saturday as right back Wells Thompson serves a one-game red card suspension.

Even short-handed, the Fire defense has allowed seven goals in the last six games, a 1.16 goals-against average that compares favorably with the Eastern Conference-leading Red Bulls New York (1.07) and FC Dallas (1.25), tops in the West.

"There have been a couple of games where it got away from us," second-year Fire defender Austin Berry said. "But we've shored it up lately and kept us in games and kept it close. It's just unfortunate we haven't scored goals, but that will come."

The Fire offense has gone 277 minutes without scoring and will be without forward Maicon Santos (shoulder injury) again. Midfielder Daniel Paladini (calf injury) is also a likely scratch after missing last week's game at Philadelphia.

Saturday's game features a reunion with several Salt Lake figures with strong Fire ties.

Fire original C.J. Brown is now a Salt Lake assistant coach while defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe was drafted by the Fire in 2010 and played 10 games for them.

Midfielder Ned Grabavoy — the 2000 national high school player of the year at Lincoln-Way Central — spent his early years with a lower-level Fire team.